1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a carrier for a flexible printing plate and which comprises a curved carrier plate arranged to be attached to a cylinder, such as a forme cylinder or the like, and a clamping device disposed at at least one end of the carrier plate.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a carrier of the above mentioned kind the clamping device usually has a plurality of clamping elements which have to be operated individually. It is, for example, known (German Utility Model No. 1,884,632) to provide, at at least one end of the carrier plate, a clamping bar on which an end of a flexible printing plate can be held and which is adapted to be moved away from the end of the carrier plate by means of a clamping device, the latter having a number of clamping elements, in the form of screws, which are spaced apart from one another along the clamping bar and which can be screwed through threaded holes formed in the clamping bar, their ends being supported on the end face of the carrier plate. When a carrier of this kind is used, clamping of a printing plate to the carrier takes up a relatively considerable period of time. Furthermore, it must always be ensured that the clamping bar is clamped exactly parallel to the axis of the carrier plate, so that the printing plate is not tilted.
There is thus a need for a clamping device which is of comparatively simple construction and can be operated rapidly, simply, and reliably.